Global National: Aug. 3, 2026 | BC Interior reeling after intense wildfire weekend

On this Monday night, from a strike to striking a deal, the agreement WestJet and its cabin crew have landed on.

Everyone in the bargaining room, whether it was on the company side or the bargaining committee side, understood the assignment.

Destruction and devastation in British Columbia.

Our entire neighborhood is gone.

As out of control flames surround an American city.

All of our memories are gone.

My dad just died and all of his stuff was still in there too.

crying foul, the pressure on FIFA's president to quit, and how he might be trying to save his job.Plus, thank you, next.The scrutiny sending music superstar Ariana Grande away from public life.

Global National with Donna Friesen.Reporting tonight, Sarah McDonald.

Good evening.Thanks for joining us.It's an anxious and unsettled evening for thousands of British Columbians impacted by wildfire tonight.The long weekend brought little respite to crews with multiple fires igniting over the past few days.In the Okanagan, we're getting a look at the devastation leveled by the Bradley Creek Fire.Homes, docks, everything reduced to ash off a stretch of Okanagan Lake just northwest of the city of Vernon.

This is southwest of Spalemcheen.More than 130 fires are burning across the provi than 50 of those still cla As we already know, a num have been destroyed in th east near the B. C. Albert Creek fire north of Cran evacuation of nearly 1000 and lightning only complic contain those flames over welcome reinforcement from the province and crews and the days to come with forecast to continue.HeaWest is in Cranbrook, B .C.C.for us tonight.

Heather, all eyes are on those evacuation zones and the wind.

Sarah, what's known as B .C.Day here in British Columbia has been anything but relaxing for the thousands of people across this province dealing with the aftermath of what happened on Saturday, something B .C.wildfire is calling a dynamic weather event.

In the Okanogan, there was little time to escape.We drove up to my parents' house, and if my husband and I weren't there, my parents wouldn't have made it because the fire was already at the house.

While Katie Laverman and her parents were able to get to safety, both their homes were lost when 80 -kilometer -per -hour winds whipped flames from the Bradley Creek fire their way.

Our entire neighborhood is gone.Everybody's devastated, and realizing you're homeless after 40 years, it's really tough.

Through the Saturday period, we received over 2 ,200 lightning strikes, which started just over 20 new wildfire starts.Of those, there was some pretty intense rates of spread.

The weather event led to evacuations in the East Kootenays as well, with winds knocking out power to 18 ,000 people in places like Invermere and Radium Hot Springs, stranding tourists with every gas station shut down.

All the gas stations were loaded with people, absolutely, and they had nowhere else to go.They literally set up and they slept there.

BC Hydro says power was restored in the East Kootenays by Monday morning, but power lines damaged in the Okanogan by the Bradley Creek blaze will take more time.

We have completed an initial damage assessment and we do know that there are more than 150 pieces of electrical infrastructure that have been damaged at this time.

People in and around BC's forests are now being asked to be on the lookout for new fires with more hot, dry and windy weather in the forecast.Officials say even small ignitions from Saturday's lightning event could easily grow.

Heather, Eurex West in Cranbrook, B .C.Thanks, Heather.And just a few hours south of the B .C.border in Washington State, more than 600 homes have been lost near Spokane as a trifecta of fierce wildfires surround the city.

As Jackson Prosko reports, the fires are already some of the worst the region has ever seen, and there's no relief in sight.

This is the daunting scene faced by firefighters in Spokane as they try to save homes encircled by an out -of -control blaze.All weekend long, wildfire smoke choked the sky over the city.

We're packing go bags now.

Guys, hurry!More than 60 ,000 residents were ordered to flee their homes as the flames crept closer.

I saw flames behind the trees.So I panicked.I had my d and got a couple of thing hundreds of families.

Th to the fire took everythi neighborhoods, the charred are all that remain.

All o My dad just died and all of his stuff was still in there too.

Local officials say this is by far the worst disaster in the city's history.

Hundreds of homes and structures have been lost.We are still assessing the potential for lives to be lost.

What's worse, it's far from over.The fires could burn for weeks to come, fueled by record -breaking heat and drought.Eerily similar conditions led to the deadly wildfires that devastated California and Hawaii in recent years.This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest.It's not a normal season.At least 17

fires have burned more than 100 ,000 hectares across Washington state.It's now a race against time and against the flames to stop more homes from being lost.A task that seems nearly impossible with the fire still largely uncontained.Jackson Prosko, Global News, Washington.

WestJet passengers left scrambling this long weekend have some relief in sight tonight, with flights now resuming.The airline and the union representing its cabin crew reached a tentative deal early this morning, ending a brief but very disruptive work stoppage that impacted a quarter million customers.Some 4 ,400 flight attendants walked off the job yesterday as hundreds of flights were canceled.The airline says it is working to clear a backlog of bumped passengers.But as Sean O'Shea reports, that will take time.

They made the morning, just a day after It's a strike that saw thousands of passengers stranded or delayed.I'm trying to get home right now, so it would definitely be nice to get back.

I understand that it's hard to come to a contract agreement, but when it puts so many people out and all you need to do is pay your flight attendants better.

After signing a deal, WestJet's CEO said the company was pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of cabin crew.Acknowledging we know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests.Canada's jobs minister said the federal government and Canadians welcome the news that the parties have reached a deal together.The union said it made gains on the key issue, paying flight attendants for groundwork.

Being some of the lowest paid, the resolve was there and I think that everyone in the bargaining room, whether it was on the company side or the bargaining committee side, understood the assignment.

The union wouldn't discuss specifics, but on Sunday, WestJet said flight attendants were offered a 13 % wage increase..5 % increase in each years.

I think both sides a 30 hour strike.So okay, of, you know, cut, you kn let's get back to work.

T baby were supposed to fly From here to Waterloo, Waterloo, Calgary, Calgary Edmonton, eight hours layover in each.

It sucks, but we're here.We're trying to make the best of it.We're getting to our vacation eventually, hopefully.

Sentiment from passengers stuck across the country at the mercy of an airline trying to put its schedule back together.

The timing is terrible.

It's just a disappointment that you have an airline like this.Commercial aviation is an essential service in Canada.And we don't have too many options.People get sick.off for a week or so, but guess what, the next trip we're back on.

Some flights were back by afternoon and most of the schedule should be restored by midweek after a short but expensive strike for the airline and an inconvenient one for travelers.Sarah.

Sean O'Shea at Toronto Pearson Airport.Thanks, Sean.Two people have now died from cyclospora in Michigan, marking the first deaths in the United States since that country's outbreak began.Medical records show both individuals had underlying health conditions that may have been exacerbated by dehydration.Cyclospora is a gastrointestinal illness that's generally not life -threatening.So far, infections have been reported in nine states.

The outbreak is being linked to iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms facilities in Mexico.But investigators are still looking.looking for other potential sources.Black Sea estate that's widely known as Putin's palace.40 people were injured.Russia claims Ukraine deliberately targeted civilians.

And Russia is also blaming Ukraine for a deadly bombing at an upscale Italian restaurant in the capital on Saturday.At least five people were killed when a woman detonated a homemade bomb after being denied access to a heavily guarded private event.A security guard among those killed grew suspicious when she approached with a box described as a gift.There is now growing speculation a senior military commander was the intended target.The American president says the U .S.

and Iran are discussing reopening the Strait of Hormuz as soon as tomorrow.That's despite Iran saying the two countries aren't talking and have no plans to negotiate.Donald Trump claims he called off a huge wave of strikes after several Middle Eastern allies urged diplomacy.Redmond Shannon on the fluctuating state of play.

On the streets of Tehran, there is a sense of deja vu about statements made by the U .S.president, at least among those willing to speak on camera.I am pessimistic because it is not even Trump's first time, second time or third time.He has repeated the same pattern before, says this man.Overnight, Donald Trump claimed the U .

S.and Iran were going back to peace talks Monday following the recent spate of strikes between both sides.sides that broke apart their ceasefire.But just a few hours later, Iran's government said that was untrue.A foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran currently has no negotiations with the U .S.

, nor are any planned.Trump's now -familiar negotiation pendulum then swung back toward rage in a long social media campaign.He also blasted Iran's claim It was negotiating with Oman to establish a secure temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz and he later doubled down on the topic of talks for some reason they When they're talking, they don't like saying that they're talking.

So I say, wait, we're in talks.

Adding another familiar ingredient to his strategy, a threat.

I want to give him every last chance before decapitation.

Along with a surprising note of optimism about how quickly he thinks oil shipments out of the Gulf could return to normal.

We're talking about the straight, the opening of the straight, having it open literally by tomorrow.

Earlier Monday, Trump suggested the price of gas is the fault of oil companies, telling them to get your consumer retail oil prices down now.A gallon of gas in the US is still much more expensive than it was before the war.And the midterm elections there are now exactly three months away.Sarah?

Redmond Shannon in London.Thanks.And critics want to give FIFA's embattled president the boot.Coming up, the growing calls for Gianni Infantino to resign.International pressure is mounting on FIFA's embattled president to resign after his controversial plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors collapsed in spectacular fashion.Gianni Infantino now finds himself in a precarious position, as some countries that had previously endorsed him for re -election next year are now backtracking.

And as Taria Isry reports, Infantino may now be turning to the White House to keep himself in play.

To many in the world of soccer, the FIFA boss overplayed his hand.

All of a sudden Gianni Infantino's continuation asthe president of FIFA is very much in jeopardy.

While he backed down on his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, the damage is already done.The European soccer body UEFA is threatening FIFA with legal action, while the English and Welsh football associations are pulling their support for Infantino.

This is kind of the straw that's broken the camel's back for the quote -unquote football family.

To have custodian of the game, se backs unilaterally has c Had it gone through, one would have been a group of Donald Trump's son in So we can show this is a Infantino's ties to the U .S.president were already under scrutiny after a phone call from Trump apparently led to the reversal of a red card penalty for the U .S.at the World Cup.According to the New York Post, Infantino is trying to call in his own favor.

The outlet is reporting he wants the Trump administration to help keep him in office and has sought private talks amid growing pressure to resign.The State Department says it has no plans for discussions.

I'm not sure it's the best tactic to get football federations back on side, but we shall see.He's certainly on very thin ice at the moment.

There's already talk about potential challengers for FIFA's top job, including the CONCACAF president and British Columbia businessman Victor Montagliani, who helped bring the World Cup to Canada.

We're sort of in a pick a side moment right now inside of the FIFA circle.The next weeks of June Gianni Infantino's tenure will be pivotal.

It's a major reversal from a week ago when Infantino's reelection in March looked like a sure thing.Taria Esri, Global News.Montreal.

Canada's peat problem had the underground culprits stubbornly smoldering and compounding the climate crisis.After a slow start, wildfire season is heating up dangerously fast.And as with every extreme fire season, we see the impact in our changing climate.Now, new research out of Ontario shows that most greenhouse gas emissions from wildfires in Canada come from a surprising source, one that's still smoldering long after the flames are out.Jeff Semple explains.

Canada's wildfire season in 2023 was the worst on record.More than 15 million hectares burned, an area larger than England.And we now have a clearer picture of the consequences for climate change.

This number is very, very large and very significant.

Researchers found the wildfires in 2023 produced more than 2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions.That's three times the emissions produced by all other sectors in Canada combined.And as it turns out, three quarters of those wildfire emissions came not from burning living trees or vegetation, but from below ground.

When you think fire, wildfires, we always think it's forest fire and the trees are burning as emissions and pollutions are coming from the tree burning.But surprisingly, what we found was the carbon emissions came from the soil, peat and the ground materials.

Canada is home to one quarter of the world's peatland, largely concentrated in Ontario and Quebec.These boggy wetlands are made up of partly decomposed plants.They contain a lot of carbon, stored underground for decades or even centuries.And when they catch fire, they burn slowly.and deeply.

So that means more polluting materials are being released from the ground because of slow smoldering of the ground fire compared to the live tree fires.

The fires can continue smoldering underground for months, even through the winter, producing so -called zombie fires that reignite in the spring.As a result of our vast peatland, Canada's wildfires are thought to produce more greenhouse gas emissions than fires in other countries.

We're going to put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke.

And despite what the U .S.president claims, it also means preventing fires isn't as simple as better forest management.

The most effective way to deal with these forest fires in the long term is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors and try to reduce global warming.Because as long as global warming is getting worse, the fires will also continue to get worse.

Jeff Semple, Global News, Toronto.

Next, the pop star whose private struggles are playing out in a very public way.An amazing weekend for the amazing Spider -Man.His new film, Brand New Day, garnered the biggest ever North American box office debut at a whopping 360 million U .S.dollars.That revenue, a large portion of nearly a billion dollars, raked in over just a few days overall, in the world's second largest opening weekend ever.

It leads a stunning comeback for North American cinemas this year, on track to surpass the $10 billion mark for the first time since 2019, after struggling with a one to punch of the pandethe rise of streaming services.Well, not many people on this planet can relate to the level of superstardom achieved by Ariana Grande.But millions of Canadians might be able to relate to the scrutiny she's facing surrounding her health.The pop star, whose persona is larger than life, is facing intense public concern surrounding what some perceive to be her increasingly tiny frame.And as Felicia Perrillo explains, it's become the impetus for the singer to step back and out of the spotlight.

After three sold -out concerts in Montreal, the buzz around Ariana Grande has shifted from performance to appearance.The release of the singer's new music video, Petal, has sparked another wave of online discussion, with some expressing concern over the singer's body image.In a statement, her representatives told People magazine over the weekend the 33 -year -old is healthy, but is stepping away from public life because of the relentless public scrutiny surrounding her physique.Grande has also withdrawn from an upcoming stage musical in London.

When you get insulted or when you get a bad review, that stays with you longer and harder than a thousand great reviews that you've been receiving about your latest tour or album and that's causing you know the publicists and managers and record labels and people that are around them to try to protect the artists as much as they possibly can.

For organizations like Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec, the conversation extends far beyond one celebrity.They say when body image dominates headlines, it can affect people already struggling with eating disorders or negative body image.

We can assume many things and this is not good for the person.who maybe go through something and it's not good for the person who have an eating disorder or not.because it's putting a lot on the body image again and again, Massey says.

While it's natural for people to be concerned, it's important not to jump to conclusions about someone's health.Normally, it's.

It's not helping.It's like we have to listen to that person and let the time go through when they are ready or not, if there's a problem or not.

Grande's decision to step back may be personal, but experts say the conversation it has sparked is much bigger, a reminder that the way we speak about the people behind the performances can have consequences far beyond the stage.Felicia Parillo, Global News, Montreal.

And that is Global National for this Monday night.I'm Sarah McDonald.Tonight's Your Canada is Jasper, Alberta.We love seeing your Canada.Please email it to globalnational at globalnews .ca.

Thanks for joining us.Donna is back tomorrow.Have a great night and a great week ahead.